Highway reopened at 1 a.m. today; firefighters extinguish forest fire caused by wreck

A woman from Bend was killed Monday afternoon in a head-on collision with a commercial motor vehicle on Highway 20 east of Sweet Home.

The highway reopened to traffic at 1 a.m. today.

Oregon State Police gave this account:

At about 12:45 p.m. Monday, a 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup towing an unknown length travel trailer was traveling eastbound on Highway 20 near milepost 54.

A 1989 Kenworth semi truck and trailer was westbound and failed to negotiate a corner, crossing into the eastbound lane where it struck the Dodge Dakota head-on.

The passenger in the Dodge Dakota, Ethel Ann Hopkins, 63, of Bend, was dead at the scene.

Other motorists were able to pull the driver, Craig Scott Hopkins, age 66, from the pickup before all vehicles were consumed by fire. Craig Hopkins is the husband of Ethel Hopkins.

He was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the semi truck, Billy Wayne Floyd, 28, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was not injured. A passenger in the truck, Matthew Aaron Dizick, age 20, of Cottage Grove, was also uninjured.

Safety belt use is unavailable.

The vehicle fire sparked a forest fire in the area that burned approximately an acre and a half. The fire was suppressed by about 20 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Sweet Home, Lebanon, and Brownsville Fire Departments.

Air support was provided by a helicopter operated by Weyerhauser, Inc.

The semi truck was pulling a carnival ride and was operated by Davis Amusement Cascadia, Inc., of Milwaukie. It was reportedly en route to the Benton County Fairgrounds. The Benton County Fair opens Wednesday

Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the collision.

The investigation is being conducted by troopers from the Oregon State Police Albany Area Command. Troopers from the Bend, Springfield, and Salem OSP area commands also assisted.

Additional assistance on the scene was provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Linn County Sheriff's office, and US Forest Service law enforcement personnel.

Troopers are interested in speaking with any witnesses to the crash or to anyone who observed the commercial vehicle prior to the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Senior Trooper Scott Hite at 541-967-2026 ext. 4440.